Stringed musical instruments, such as guitars, are well known. Other examples of stringed musical instruments include basses, banjos, mandolins, Dobros, violins and ukuleles. Such stringed musical instruments typically have a body and a neck attached to the body. A peg head is typically formed upon the distal end of the neck and the body is attached to the proximal end of the neck. Strings extend from the peg head, along the neck, to the body. Typically, the strings are attached to tuning machines mounted on the peg head and supported at the distal end of the neck by a nut. The strings are supported at the body by a bridge. On some musical instruments the strings pass over the bridge and terminate at a tailpiece. On other musical instruments the bridge and tailpiece are combined into a single structure and the strings terminate at the combination bridge/tailpiece.
Some combination bridge/tailpieces are configured to provide a tremolo effect by pivoting in a manner which increases and decreases tension on the strings. Other combination bridge/tailpieces are fixed in position and do not pivot. Although such pivoting bridges do facilitate the use of the sometimes desired tremolo effect, such pivoting bridges suffer from inherent deficiencies. Pivoting bridges can make it difficult to keep an instrument in tune, can contribute undesirable sounds to the instrument, and inhibit good contact between the vibrating strings and the body of the musical instrument.
It is difficult to maintain proper tuning of an instrument which has a pivoting bridge, because the pivoting bridge, by its very nature, allows for changes to occur in the tension of the strings. As those having skill in the art will appreciate, the pitch of a string is directly related to the tension thereof. Thus, changes in the tension of a string, due to pivoting of the bridge, inherently result in changes to the tuning of the instrument. When such changes in tension occur at times during which the tremolo effect is not being utilized, such as during manual bending of the strings to change their pitch, then undesirable changes in tuning occur. It is difficult to prevent such changes in tension from occurring at times during which the tremolo effect is not being utilized.
Prior art attempts to mitigate such undesirable changes in the tuning of an instrument having a pivoting bridge include locking the pivoting bridge in position, so as to mitigate undesirable pivoting thereof when the tremolo effect is not being utilized. However, even such locked bridges are subject to some degree of undesirable movement, which results in undesirable changes in the tuning of the musical instrument.
Pivoting bridges necessarily have additional parts (to facilitate such pivoting) which are not present in fixed bridges. Additionally, in order to facilitate such pivoting, some of these parts must be moveable with respect to one another. These additional parts and these moveable parts are generally formed of metal. The use of such additional and/or moving parts inherently facilitates undesirable modification of sound vibrations transmitted therethrough. Thus, pivoting bridges undesirably modify the sound of an instrument upon which they are installed.
Because one portion of a pivoting bridge must be pivotally attached to another portion thereof, a firm, fixed connection of the bridge to the body of the musical instrument is not provided. That is, in such a pivoting bridge, sound vibrations from the strings must travel through the pivoting connection of the bridge to get to the body of the musical instrument. Since the pivoting connection provides a much poorer sound transmission path than a fixed bridge, less sound vibration is transmitted from the strings to the body of the musical instrument when a pivoting bridge is utilized. Further, the sound vibration is undesirably modified as it is transmitted through the pivoting bridge. Some frequencies may be more readily transmitted through the pivoting bridge than are other frequencies. New frequencies may be added and existing frequencies may be attenuated by the pivoting bridge. In a similar manner, the sound vibration transmitted back from the body of the musical instrument to the strings thereof is undesirably modified when a pivoting bridge is utilized.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that much of the desired tone of a musical instrument results from the transmission of sound from the strings, through the bridge, to the body thereof and from the body, through the bridge, back to the strings thereof. Generally, any modification of sound vibration by the bridge itself is undesirable.
A substantial portion of the sound of a musical instrument is due to overtones or harmonics which are selectively emphasized by the body of the musical instrument. In order for the body of a musical instrument to have such an effect on the sound of the musical instrument, it is necessary for string vibrations to readily pass through the bridge of the musical instrument into the body thereof and back from the body into the strings thereof. If maximum tonal response is the desired goal, then it is frequently desirable to have a fixed bridge, instead of a pivoting bridge.
Some bridges are configured so as to facilitate height adjustment of the strings. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the height of the strings of a musical instrument, such as a guitar, determines the action thereof. That is, the height of the strings above frets of the neck of the musical instrument determines how far down each string must be pushed in order to play the string at a desired fret.
Typically, a guitar player, for example, desires to have the action as low as possible to facilitate easy playing of the musical instrument. It is easier to push a string down a shorter distance than it is to push the string down a longer distance. However, positioning the strings too close to the neck is likely to result in undesirable noise or buzz, as one or more of the strings strike the frets. Buzz is most likely to occur at the higher pitched frets, which are located near the center of the length of each string, where string excursions are greatest when the string is played. The height of the strings at which buzz occurs depends substantially upon the playing style (how hard the strings are struck or picked when played) of the player.
Frequently it is desirable to match the arc of the strings with an individual's playing style. Various aspects of an individual's playing style contribute to the desire for different amounts of arc in the strings. Such aspects of playing style include whether or not a pick is used, whether the soft ends or tips of the fingers are used or the nails of the fingers are used, and how hard the strings are picked. Personal preference also determines how much arc the strings of a musical instrument should have. Thus, it is highly desirable that the strings be adjustable in height, so as to accommodate a large number of players having diverse playing styles.
One contemporary method for varying the height of the strings of a guitar involves the selection and installation of a saddle which provides the desired string height. The saddle typically supports all six strings of the guitar and sits within a groove formed upon the bridge of the guitar. Such saddles are easily replaceable. Therefore, a player may typically select a saddle which provides the desired height of the strings, so as to provide the particular action which is appropriate for the player's style. Height adjustment of the strings by selecting and installing the appropriate saddle is a common method for adjusting string height on an acoustic guitar.
On some contemporary fixed combination bridge/tailpieces, the height thereof (including the saddle) is adjustable. Typically, such adjustability is provided by mounting the fixed combination bridge/tailpieces to the body of a guitar via two threaded height adjustment mounting bolts, wherein one threaded height adjustment mounting bolt is disposed proximate each end thereof. Adjustment of the height of the fixed combination bridge/tailpiece is effected by turning one or both of the height adjustment mounting bolts, so as to cause the fixed combination bridge/tailpiece to move closer to or further away from the body of the guitar. Height adjustment of the strings via such fixed combination bridge/tailpiece height adjustment mounting bolts is common on electric guitars.
Although the above described saddle height selection and bridge height adjustment is generally suitable for varying the height of strings above the neck of a musical instrument, such contemporary methodologies suffer from inherent deficiencies which detract from their overall effectiveness and desirability. For example, raising or lowering either the saddle or the entire bridge (including the saddle) tends to raise or lower all of the strings together.
A small degree of independent height adjustment for each string may be obtained by filing (deepening) one or more of the notches of a saddle, so as to lower a string seated within the filed notch(es). However, if a notch is filed too deep, then the entire saddle or bridge must be raised to compensate and the filing process may then need to be repeated. Thus, independent adjustment of the height of each string is not readily provided.
Further, the saddle defines the relative placement of the strings with respect to one another. That is, the shape of the supporting surface of the saddle determines whether the strings are generally coplanar with respect to one another at the bridge, or whether the strings define an arc at the bridge. If the strings define an arc at the bridge, then the saddle determines the radius of the arc.
As discussed above, contemporary saddles do not readily facilitate the independent adjustment of the height of each string and thus do not readily facilitate varying the position of the strings with respect to one another. Small changes in the position of each string relative to the other strings may be made by filing the notches of a saddle, as described above. However, filing a notch too deep again requires that the entire saddle be raised to compensate and generally also requires that the filing process be repeated. Further, it is difficult to obtain a substantial change in string position by filing.
Since the parts being filed are typically plated metal, filing is generally undesirable, because it degrades the material. Additionally, if the saddles are made of cast material, filing breaks through the surface skin of the cast material and into the softer, porous interior thereof. Having a string rest upon such softer, porous interior material of a saddle is less than optimal for desired tonal response and also tends to shorten the life of the saddle. As such, it is difficult to change the relative placement of the strings from coplanar to defining an arc and vice versa by such filing. It is also difficult to substantially alter the radius of an arc defined by the strings via filing. Thus, the position of each of the strings relative to one another is substantially predetermined by the shape of the saddle.
Contemporary fixed combination bridge/tailpieces do not facilitate independent adjustment of the height of each string. Although the overall height thereof, and consequently the height of all of the strings, is adjustable on some contemporary fixed combination bridge/tailpieces, such overall height adjustment does not facilitate changing of the curvature or arc of the strings.
However, in many instances a player would like to modify the shape of the strings at the bridge. That is, it is frequently desirable to independently change the height of each string at the bridge. In this manner, a player can not only vary the action of the strings, but can additionally provide the desired amount of curvature or arc in the strings, particularly for the higher pitched frets where the effects of such adjustments are most pronounced (because the higher pitched frets are closer to the bridge).
Some bridges are configured so as to facilitate intonation compensation. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the intonation of a stringed musical instrument is determined by the length of that portion of each string, in relation to the placement of the frets over the predetermined scale length, which is free to vibrate when picked. Due to inherent variations in the physical properties of the strings (such as their weight distribution and flexibility), each string of a musical instrument will not necessarily have the same length when proper intonation is achieved. The length of that portion of each string which is free to vibrate is typically determined, at least in part, by the position of its corresponding saddle upon the body of the musical instrument.
By horizontally positioning each saddle of a bridge appropriately, intonation compensation for the musical instrument can be provided. On some contemporary musical instruments, intonation is adjusted by positioning a single saddle (which supports all six strings of a guitar, for example) such that the strings have approximately the necessary different lengths. Of course, on such single saddle bridges, a compromise position of the saddle must be found wherein intonation is somewhat satisfactory for all strings, but is typically not precisely achieved for at least some of the strings. When the saddle is positioned such that intonation for two of the strings of the musical instrument (such as the two end strings thereof) is proper, then intonation for the other strings thereof (such the middle strings thereof) may not be proper. Of course, moving the saddle so as to provide proper intonation for the middle strings will necessarily cause the intonation to be incorrect for the end strings. Thus, when a single saddle is utilized, a compromise position thereof must be utilized.
On other contemporary musical instruments, separate saddles are provided for each string, such that the intonation of each string can be individually adjusted or compensated for by independently horizontally positioning each saddle. Of course, such independent adjustability of the intonation of the strings desirably facilitates precise intonation adjustment thereof.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a bridge for a musical instrument, such as a guitar, wherein each string of the musical instrument is supported by a separate, independently movable saddle, which can be independently positioned in height, i.e., vertically, so as to define the desired action of the instrument and the desired arc of the strings, and which can also be independently positioned horizontally so as to facilitate more accurate intonation adjustment.